Self-locking drawer



J. E. MCNAMAHA. SELF LOCKING DRAWER. APPucATloN man mm1. 1920.

1,363,524., Patented DecZS, 1920.4

Ill

VIII

STATES JOHN E. MCNAMARA, Ol? PETERSBURG,

.AND BAG- COMPANY, 0F PETERSBURG, VIRGINIA,

GINIA.

VIRGINIA, ASSXGNOR TO SEW'ARD TRUNK A CORPORATION 0F VIR- SELF-LOCKNG DRAWER.

Application led April 21,

T 0 all w 710m t may concern.'

Be it known that l, doi-IN E. MCNAMARA, a citizen of the United States, residing at Petersburg, in the county of Dinwiddie and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful improvements in SelfLocking Drawers, of which the 'following is a specilication, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to drawers of trunks, bureaus, and like articles, and a particular object of the invention is to provide means to automatically lock a drawer from opening movement when the drawer is closed.

i further object is to provide a device of this kind which is keyless and so constructed that the drawer may he opened by a proper manipulation thereof without the use of a key or like implement.

A further object is to provide a construction of this character which is very simple, which may be readily applied to a large variety of different structures, and which is particularly applicable to the compartment drawers of wardrobe trunks and the like.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of the upper portion of one section of a wardrobe trunk with my drawer locking device applied to the drawer thereof:I

Fig. 2 is like view to Fig. 1, but showing the manner in which the drawer is unlocked for retraction;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line of llig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the drawer compartment, the walls being broken away;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one corner of the drawer;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view in full size of the lower rear corner of the drawer.

Referring to these drawings, 1() designates an article of furniture, such, for instance, as the section of a wardrobe trunk which is provided with a drawer opening 11 defined by the top 12 of the drawer compartment, by the sides 13, and the back 14 of the compartment. Slidable into and out of the drawer compartment is the drawer 15 which is of any usual or suitable construction, but is slightly less in length than the length of the drawer compartment. Attached to the Specification of Letters Patent.

patented Dee. 28, 1920.

1920. Serial No. 375,608.

sides 13 of the drawer compartment rearward of the wall 16 which extends across the body 10 below the drawer compartment are the guides 17 which are formed of relatively thin metal and are angular in cross section, these guides being attached to the sides 13 of the drawer compartment by rivets 18 or other attaching devices. The horizontal flanges of these guides are disposed slightly above the upper edge of the transverse wall 16, as seen in Fig. ll, and these guides are less in length than the length of the drawer compartment.

T he drawer 15 on its bottom inward of the rear end of the drawer is provided with downwardly projecting locking studs 19. These are shown as attached to the metallic angle strips 2O which are riveted or otherwise secured to the sides and bottorn of the drawer. These locking studs 19 extend downward, and one face of each stud is cut away, as at 20, so as to form a head which extends forward toward thenfront end of the drawer, as at 21. These studs 19 are so disposed as to engage the rear ends of the horizontal flanges of the supporting and guiding strips 17, as illustrated in Fig. 1. lWhen these heads 21 engage beneath the ends of the supporting and guiding strips, the drawer may have slight rearward movement but no forward movement, and the only way to open the drawer is to push it rearward and at the same time press upon the lower portion of the front of the drawer below the handle 22, which forces the drawer rearward and at the same time causes the drawer to tilt upward at its rea-r end so that the studs escape the rear end of the supporting iron 17, and then if the drawer is drawn forward or out of the compartment, these studs 19 will ride upon the upper faces of the horizontal flanges of the supporting and guiding strips 17. Un der ordinary circumstances, however, and unless the secret of the drawer be known, it is impossible to open the drawer, for the reason that when any attempt is made to do so by simply pulling the drawer outward, even if the drawer be initially forced back, the studs will engage beneath the rear edge of the horizontal flanges of the angular strips 17 and prevent the opening of the drawer. The drawer must, therefore, be canted so as to raise its rear end before it .can be pulled forward, and if the studs 1.9

be provided with the heads 21, it is obvious that the drawer must be pushed backwardV before it can be canted.

While this locking device has been designed with particular reference to the drawers of wardrobe trunks, yet it is to be understood that it is applicable to the locking of all kinds of drawers in bureaus, cabinets, jewel boxes, desks, and other like articles of furniture.

I claim* 1. The combination with a drawer compartment and a drawer therefor, of members projecting from the wall of the drawer compartment constituting supporting guides for the drawer and preventingthe initial opening movement of the drawer from a fully closed position until lthe drawer is canted to escape said members.

2. The combination with a drawer compartment and a drawer therefor, of a memberextending Vfrom a wall of the compartment, and a lo'king member attached to the drawer and engaging against said first ynamed member when the drawer is fully inserted in said compartment to prevent the initial opening movement of the drawer but disengaginp; from the first named member when the drawer is canted.

3. The combination with a drawer compartment and a drawer therefor, of locking means for the drawer comprising; a member projectingoutward from the wall of the compartment slightly below the bottom of the drawer, and a stud projecting' downward from the bottom of the drawer anc normally engaging` behind said member when the drawer is closed. the drawer being shiftable within the dra-wer compartment to raise said stud above the level of the member to permit the opening of the drawer.

4. The combination with a drawer compartment and a drawer therefor, of locking` means for the drawer comprising a member projecting outward from the wall of the compartment slightly below the bottom of the drawer, and avstud projecting downward from the bottom of the drawer and normally engaging behind said member when the drawer is closed, the stud having a head projecting' beneath said member when the drawer is closed and the front of the drawer is flush with the front of the compartment, the drawer being shiftable rearward in said compartment to disengage the head of the stud from beneath said member and being .shiftable in the compartment to raise the stud to a level above said member, whereupon the drawer may be opened.

5. The combination with a drawer compartmentl and a drawer therefor less in length than the length of the drawer compartment, guides projecting from the side walls of the drawer compartment and supporting the drawer, said guides, terminating short of the rear end of the drawer when the drawer is in place, and studs projecting downward from the bottom of 'the drawer and engageable behind said guides when the front end of the drawer is flush with the front end 0f thecompartment, the drawer being vertically tiltable within the compartment to raise the studs out of engagement from behind said guides and permit the drawer to be withdrawn.

6. The combination with a drawer compartment and a drawer therefor less in length than the length of the drawer compartment, guides projecting' from the side walls of the drawer compartment and supporting' the drawer, said guides terminating' short of the rear end of the drawer when the drawer is in place, and studs projecting downward from the bottom of the drawer and eneafreable behind said .Guides when the h b C front end of the drawer is flush with the front end of the compartment, said studs being provided with forwardly directed heads engaging beneath said Lguides when `the front of the drawer is flush with the front of the compartment but disengageable therefrom upon a rearward movement of the drawer in said compartment to thereby permit the drawer to be upwardly tilted and the studs raised above the level of the tguides.

In testimony whereof l hereunto affix my signature. j

JOHN E. MCNAMARA. 

